Ballade or étude

The answer to “Ballade or étude” in the New York Times crossword is PIECE — a 5-letter word. This clue ran in the New York Times crossword on January 9, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 27-Down. If it's the entry standing between you and a clean grid, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, plus links to the day's other clues if more than one square is giving you trouble.

“Ballade or étude” answer

PIECE (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is PIECE.

Why the answer is PIECE

PIECE is the 5-letter solution that fits "Ballade or étude" in the NYT Crossword crossword on January 9, 2026 (27-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

When else has “Ballade or étude” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up before, and what the answer was each time — handy if you landed here from a puzzle on another date.

January 9, 2026 (this puzzle) → PIECE. We haven't indexed an earlier appearance of this exact clue yet.

More clues from the NYT Crossword crossword on January 9, 2026

Stuck elsewhere in the grid? Here are some of the crossing and nearby clues from the same puzzle — tap any for its answer and explanation.

• Apple core? → CPU
• Stealthy flier → AIRMARSHAL
• It often comes with the job → BENEFITSPACKAGE
• ___ Slush (frozen fruit drink) → ICEE
• Old-timey oath → NERTS
• Confirmation from a maître d' → OUI
• Kind of fever → CABIN
• Dumps → STIES

Want every clue in one place? The full New York Times answer list for January 9, 2026 is on that day's grid page, and today's live NYT Crossword answers are always one tap from the today page.

About the NYT Crossword

The New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz, is the most famous daily puzzle in the United States. It runs a 15×15 grid Monday through Saturday and a larger 21×21 grid on Sunday, and its difficulty deliberately ramps through the week: Monday is the most approachable, Saturday the toughest, with Thursday often reserved for a trick or twist like rebus squares. This page covers a Friday puzzle. A straight-definition entry is the kind of solid mid-grid answer that anchors the trickier crossings around it. Because the NYT reuses short, crossing-friendly words regularly, seeing them once makes them easier to spot next time.

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